ANDOVER TWP. — The three candidates seeking the Republican nomination for two open seats on the Township Committee agreed broadly on the need for more ratables and for preserving the township’s rural character, but Mayor Phil Boyce and challenger Jack Burke also took turns taking shots at each other throughout much of Wednesday’s debate at Township Hall on issues ranging from term limits to taxpayer-funded health benefits for elected officials.

The exchange, which got heated at times and included mutual suggestions of hypocrisy, was enough for Deputy Mayor Dolores Blackburn — who, along with Boyce, is seeking re-election — to say at one point, in response to a question about how many township meetings they each had attended before running for public office, that “if I’d attended more meetings, I’m not sure I’d have run for office at all.”

The quip, which drew spontaneous laughter from the 35 or so people in attendance, was one of the few lighthearted moments of the debate, which lasted slightly more than an hour and was moderated by New Jersey League of Women Voters President Toni Zimmer.

Boyce, noting that Andover Township homeowners this year were facing the largest average municipal tax increase in Sussex County, defended casting the lone vote against adoption of the 2014 budget at last month’s public hearing — an action for which he felt he had been unfairly “hammered” by supporters of Burke.

“I’m glad to hear Jack (Burke) say he would have voted for the largest municipal tax increase in Sussex County, but the reason for having a public hearing is so you can keep an open mind and listen to the concerns of the public, not just so you can vote yes,” Boyce said. “Otherwise what’s a hearing for?”

Burke, in response, said he never stated emphatically that he would have voted for this year’s budget. But, he said, “I would not sit on the council for six years and then wait till the last 30 days to realize we were having a steep tax increase.”

The exchange between the two set the pace for nearly the entire evening, with Blackburn at times offering her own insights regarding the tax increase and other municipal issues.

For her part, Blackburn said she believed the township was operating as efficiently as it could under the circumstances and that this year’s tax hike was partly an unintended result of having left insufficient reserves in prior year’s budgets. She also cautioned against unintended consequences of further cuts, noting that the decision a few years ago to move the police dispatcher’s job from full-time to part-time had been offset by additional costs on overtime.

“We have to move forward cautiously when we try to reduce positions because it may not always benefit the township in the long run,” Blackburn said.

But, said Boyce, after having reduced the number of township employees by nine people over the last six years, the proposal in the 2014 budget to add two more employees — including a full-time employee at Township Hall — was the wrong decision at the wrong time.

“We’re adding someone who will cost us $28,000 this year that will go up to $60,000 next year,” Boyce said. “We could’ve done a better job than that.”

Burke’s response: “When Mr. Boyce talks about the budget, I would add that he took $25,000 in health benefits paid for by the town for hours that in the commercial world would never warrant such a rich benefit package. ... I think when you step up to a position like this, you do it as a volunteer. It’s not a full-time job and does not rate Cadillac benefits.”

Boyce, however, accused Burke of being hypocritical for going after him on his taxpayer-funded health benefits, which Township Committeemen Michael Lensak and Tom Walsh — both of whom were in attendance Wednesday and support Burke — also receive.

“Keep in mind those folks (Lensak and Walsh) have your sign in their yard, so if what you say is true, they’re going to lose their benefits too. Sorry, gentlemen,” Boyce said.

For her part, Blackburn said she did not believe part-time officials should receive health benefits. Under a state law enacted in 2010, Blackburn and other officials elected after that date can no longer receive taxpayer-funded benefits. Officials who were already in office, however, were allowed to keep their benefits.

Burke — along with Blackburn, who is completing her first term — said he also supported a limit of two terms, or six years, for municipal elected officials.

“I think folks should come in, share the ideas they have, and get out and make room for fresh ideas,” Burke said, adding that elected officials in office for a long time have a tendency to become “stale” and “feel entitled.”

Boyce, who is completing his second term, suggested that, as with the health benefits issue, Burke was being less than candid in his support for term limits. He said if Burke were sincere, he would apply the same standard to Lensak and Walsh, who both have been on the committee for longer than six years.

He added: “The reason, Mr. Burke, that you agreed to term limits for yourself is because you have no intention of serving more than two terms. What you want to do is get your name out there and then quit and move onto higher office, using Andover to educate you and then taking those skills to something bigger and better.”

Burke adamantly denied that was the case but said, when pressed, that the term-limit proposal he supported would not be retroactive for those already in office. “I would sponsor an ordinance that, the date it was put on the books, a person who got elected moving forward would have six years — two terms,” Burke said. “I can’t explain it any other way.”

Burke also rejected the idea of running the township as a business, which he said was different from a community of friends and neighbors.

“I can’t, because I want a new servivce or pool or community center, just raise taxes, which is what a business would do — you just raise revenue,” Burke said.

“A business would not raise taxes,” Boyce responded.

Burke, at one point, also accused Boyce, a radio executive, of “doing a good job telling us how big he is in radio, but he hasn’t shared specifics of how he’d apply his learning in the radio industry to benefit our township.”

Lensak and Walsh both acknowledged afterward that they were supporting Burke. Walsh also said he felt Boyce had developed a “disconnect” with township residents and suggested Boyce, as mayor, was not doing enough to earn his keep.

Burke said “some folks do a lot more than others and we’re grateful to have them, and there’s others that don’t deserve their benefits — folks who show up and vote no on a budget when you’ve had five years to make an impact.”

Boyce reiterated his love for the township and said he has no other political aspirations than to serve. He said he prefers to brag about the accomplishments of the township and its residents rather than about himself.

The three candidates who debated Wednesday will face off in the June 3 primary. The top two vote-getters among them will enjoy the Republican nod in the November election.

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